The History of Yeshurun Hebrew Congregation

In January 1963, Jack Barsh, Mark Bernstein, Ellis Bor, Gordon Davies, Sydney Friedland, Clifford Glancy, Barry Halpern, Phil Kanas, John Koffler, Yitz Jaffe, Alan Reins, Abe Rhodes and Harold Solomons bought a house called Chasely, on Gatley Road, for £8,200. Another local shul, Stockport, merged with Yeshurun in 1966 because so many people had moved away to Cheadle and Gatley.

The entrance was resited to its present position on Coniston Road and in 1966 the first Nursery at a Shul was founded at Yeshurun. The main shul complex, containing the Main shul, the Hall and classrooms, was built in 1968. There have been only four Ministers during the last 40 years:Rabbi E.S. Rabinovitz, Rabbi B. Rabinovitz, Dr. A. Unterman and the current incumbent, Rabbi C. Kanterovitz.

Abe Rhodes, a founder, writes,"We were keen to create an orthodox environment in which a modern generation of worldly young men and women could feel comfortable and above all feel included. In other words without knowing the term we were defining ourselves as modern orthodox. We were very democratic. Everybody was to pay the same subscription which included Cheder and burial fees and no seats in the synagogue were to be allocated. We were the first community in Britain where women were not only allowed to serve on the shul council, but actually encouraged to do so." He says about the first Rabbi, Rabbi E.S. Rabinowitz,"To our amazement and eternal gratitude he agreed to come and it was he who moulded our community into the vibrant and unique entity that it is."

The Synagogue continues to thrive today with over 400 families as members.